JP2005161796A - Wiping mechanism and ink-jet recording device using the same mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiping mechanism of an ink-jet recording device which enables the removal of the phase deviation in right and left at the time of parallelly moving a movement block mounted with a wiper while enabling the discharge port face of a recording head to be stably wiped off by smoothly moving the wiper. <P>SOLUTION: The discharge port face of the recording means is wiped off by the steps comprising a step of forming the parallel pass sections 69a, 69b separated each other with a specified distance by bending one piece of long-sized member 68 laid on and stretched endlessly between a drive-pulley 65 and an idler-pulley 66, a step of connecting the movement block 70 mounted with the wiper 61 to the portion, moving in the same direction, of the parallel pass sections 69a, 69b and a step of making the movement block parallelly moved by turning the drive-pulley. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiping mechanism for wiping a discharge port surface of a recording means for recording by discharging ink onto a recording material with a wiper, and an ink jet recording apparatus using the wiping mechanism.

The ink jet recording apparatus performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head as a recording unit to a recording material such as recording paper. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, recording is performed by ejecting ink from a fine ejection port, resulting in ejection failure due to clogging of the ejection port or deposits on the surface of the ejection port, resulting in a decrease in image quality of the recorded image. Inconvenience may occur. A discharge recovery device is used as a means for solving such inconvenience. The discharge recovery device includes a capping mechanism for protecting the ejection port of the recording head and preventing ink evaporation, a suction mechanism for sucking ink from the ejection port of the recording head, and a surface for wiping the ejection port surface of the recording head. A device having a wiping mechanism is used. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 10-217494 A

  The capping mechanism protects the ejection port surface of the recording head, or seals the ejection port surface of the recording head and covers the ejection port surface with a cap to prevent ink thickening or sticking due to evaporation of the ink solvent. belongs to. The suction mechanism is fixed together with ink from the discharge port by operating a negative pressure generating means such as a suction pump connected to the cap with the discharge port capped (sealed) to apply a negative pressure to the space inside the cap. This is for sucking and removing foreign matters such as ink and bubbles. The wiping mechanism wipes (wipes and cleans) foreign matter (adherent matter) such as ink and dust on the discharge port surface by sliding a wiper made of a rubber-like elastic material or the like on the discharge port surface. Is to do.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a wiping mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus before the present invention is applied. In FIG. 5, the recording means 110 is composed of four line type recording heads 111 (111a, 111b, 111c, 111d), and the recording means 110 is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction by an elevator means (not shown). ing. In this case, it is set at the lowest position during the recording operation, and is raised to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 during the wiping operation for wiping the discharge port surface of each recording head 111. In the example shown in the drawing, the discharge port surface is selected as the lower surface, and a discharge port array composed of a plurality of discharge ports arranged at a predetermined pitch is formed on the discharge port surface.

  In FIG. 5, the wiping mechanism for wiping the discharge port surface of each recording head 111 uses two annular long members (timing belts, wire ropes, etc.) 115a, 115b arranged in parallel to each other. Both end portions of the moving block 117 to which the wiper 116 (116a, 116b, 116c, 116d) corresponding to the recording head 111 is attached are locked to the long members 115a, 115b, and the two long members are driven synchronously. By moving the moving block 117 in parallel, the wiper 116 wipes (wipes) the discharge port surface of each recording head 111.

  In the wiping mechanism of FIG. 5, drive pulleys 119a and 119b are fixed to both ends of a drive shaft (drive pulley shaft) 118, and an annular ring is formed between one drive pulley 119a and a driven pulley (idler pulley) 120a. A timing belt (long member) 115a is stretched, and another annular timing belt (long member) 115b is stretched between the other driving pulley 119b and the other driven pulley (idler pulley) 120b. ing. The two timing belts 115a and 115b are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. Then, the drive pulleys 119a and 119b are rotationally driven by the motor 121 via the speed reduction gear train 122, so that the two timing belts 115a and 115b arranged in parallel are driven to travel. The moving block 117 supported by the belt and each wiper 116 are configured to move in parallel.

  In the illustrated example, four wipers 116a to 116d for wiping the discharge port surfaces of a plurality of (four) recording heads 111a to 111d are connected to one (common) via the wiper holders 123a to 123d. A) of the moving block 117. Each wiper 116 is configured by a plate-like blade made of a rubber-like elastic material that can be elastically deformed. Therefore, by controlling the rotation and rotation direction of the motor 121 and moving the moving block 117 in the direction of the double-headed arrow X, the wiper 116 wipes (wipes and cleans) the corresponding discharge port surface of the recording head 111. it can.

  However, the following technical problems remain in the wiping mechanism of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the already proposed proposal as shown in FIG. That is, when a plurality of wipers 116 are mounted on the moving block 117, the wiping load of each wiper 116 is different, so that an unequal force acts on the moving block 117 in the left-right direction. Since the sliding loads of the left and right guide rails (not shown) for guiding and supporting the parts are different, the movement of the moving block 117 may become unstable. In addition, the left and right guide rails are smudged by ink mist, or due to external factors such as dust, the belt movement of the timing belt on one side of the two timing belts 115a and 115b is caught, It can be a heavy load.

  Further, since the drive shaft (drive pulley shaft) 118 to which the two drive pulleys 119a and 119b for driving the two timing belts 115a and 115d are attached is long, the moving block 117 is caused by twisting of the drive shaft 118 or the like. In some cases, a phase shift may occur on the left and right sides of the screen. In particular, when mechanically stopping and reversing switching of the timing belt 115 on one side, a phase shift occurs between the two timing belts 115a and 115b with time. Due to the unbalance as described above, the moving block 117 is inclined and may be caught between the guide rails and may not be movable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to ensure smooth movement of the wiper by eliminating the left and right phase shift when moving the moving block on which the wiper is mounted. Thus, it is an object to provide a wiping mechanism capable of wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means in a stable state, and an ink jet recording apparatus using the wiping mechanism.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention (Claim 1) is a wiping mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus for wiping the discharge port surface of a recording means for discharging ink onto a recording material with a wiper. A parallel path section spaced apart by a predetermined distance is formed by bending one long member that is stretched endlessly around the drive pulley and the idler pulley, and the moving block on which the wiper is mounted is connected to the parallel path section. The discharge port surface of the recording means is wiped with the wiper by rotating the drive pulley to translate the moving block.

  According to another aspect of the present invention (claim 6), in order to achieve the above object, a recording means for discharging ink onto a recording material and recording, and a wiping mechanism for wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means In the ink jet recording apparatus, the wiping mechanism forms a parallel path portion that is spaced apart by a predetermined distance by bending one long member that is stretched endlessly around a driving pulley and an idler pulley. The wiper is connected to the moving part in the same direction of the parallel path portion, and the drive pulley is rotated to move the moving block in parallel to wipe the discharge port surface of the recording means with the wiper. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, a moving block having a wiper mounted thereon is formed by bending a long member that is stretched endlessly around a drive pulley and an idler pulley to form parallel path portions that are separated by a predetermined distance. Is connected to the moving part in the same direction of the parallel path part, and the drive pulley is rotated to move the moving block in parallel, thereby wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means with the wiper. A wiping mechanism capable of wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means in a stable state by eliminating the left and right phase shift when moving the moving block and ensuring smooth movement of the wiper, and the wiping mechanism An ink jet recording apparatus is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a state at the time of each operation of an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. (A) shows a state at the time of recording, and (b) shows a state from the state at the time of recording. The state when the recording means is raised is shown, (c) shows the state when the capping mechanism is moved in the horizontal direction from the state (b), and (d) shows the state when the recording means is moved from the state (c). The state when the recording means is lowered and capped by the capping mechanism is shown. An ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means (its discharge port) to a recording material such as recording paper.

  In FIG. 1, the recording means 10 includes four line type ink jet recording heads 11 (11 a, 11 b, 11 c, 11 d) attached to a head holder 12. Each recording head 11 is attached to a position at every predetermined interval in the conveyance direction A of the recording material P in a posture in which the longitudinal direction intersects the conveyance direction A. On the lower side surfaces of the recording heads 11a to 11d of the recording means 10, there are provided ejection port surfaces 13a to 13d on which ejection port arrays composed of a plurality of ejection ports are formed. A transport mechanism for transporting (paper feeding) the recording paper P is provided at a position facing (facing) the ejection port 13 of each recording head 11. The illustrated transport mechanism includes a transport belt 24 composed of an endless belt stretched between a transport drive roller 25 and a transport driven roller 26, and is supplied by rotating the transport drive roller 25 with a motor (not shown). The recording sheet P is conveyed in the direction of arrow A.

  On the right side of the transport mechanism in FIG. 1, a paper feed mechanism for supplying the recording paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 27 onto the transport belt 24 one by one by the paper feed roller 28 is disposed. Yes. Reference numeral 29 denotes a pressing spring for bringing the recording paper P on the paper feeding tray 27 into contact with the paper feeding roller 28. Further, on the left side of the transport mechanism in FIG. 1, a paper discharge tray 30 for holding the recording material P discharged from the transport belt 24 such as recorded recording paper is disposed. The ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is configured such that the height position of each recording head 11 can be controlled by adjusting the vertical position of the head holder 12 by a head lifting mechanism 31. Further, in the vicinity of each recording head 11a to 11d, a capping mechanism including caps 32a to 32d for sealing each ejection port by contacting the ejection port surfaces 13a to 13d of each recording head is disposed. ing.

  In FIG. 1, during the recording operation shown in FIG. 1A, each recording head 11 is in the lowered position, and image recording is performed by ejecting ink toward the recording paper P that is transported (paper fed) on the transport belt 24. Executed. When the recording operation is finished, the recording means 10 is first raised by the operation of the head lifting mechanism 31 as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in (c), each cap 32 is horizontally moved by a predetermined distance in the right direction in the figure by a motor (not shown), so that each cap 32 corresponding to just below each recording head 11 is positioned. Next, the recording unit 10 is lowered by the operation of the head lifting mechanism 31 to bring the ejection port surface 13 of each recording head 11 into contact with the cap 32, thereby setting the capping state. At the time of non-recording such as when the recording apparatus is stored or during recording standby, the capping state can be set to suppress ink evaporation from the ejection port and to protect the ejection port surface. When resuming the recording, the operation reverse to the above is performed to bring the state (a) to the start and the recording operation is started.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of an example of a recording means (recording head) elevating mechanism in an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. Next, a specific configuration example of the head lifting mechanism 31 for controlling the vertical positions of the recording heads 11a to 11d will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, side wall portions 35 a and 35 b are formed on both sides of the base member 35, and each of the side wall portions 35 a and 35 b on both sides is a first rotatable about a first axis 36. A second crank member 39 that is rotatable around a crank member 37 and a second axis 38 is pivotally supported. Further, on both side wall portions 35a and 35b, drive shafts 43 are rotatably supported by a lifting motor 42 through a pinion gear transmission mechanism. Gear portions (tooth shapes) 41 are formed around the first crank members 37 on both the left and right sides, and the gear portions (tooth shapes) 44 formed on both ends of the drive shaft 43 mesh with the left and right gear portions 41. Yes. Accordingly, the left and right first crank members 37 are first rotated synchronously by the lifting motor 42.

  The left and right second crank members 39 are connected by a transmission shaft 45 so as to rotate synchronously. On both the left and right sides, the first crank member 37 and the second crank member 39 connect a first pin (crank pin) 46 and a second pin (crank pin) 47 provided at their eccentric positions. The connecting rod 48 is configured to rotate synchronously. Further, each of the first crank member 37 and the second crank member 39 on both the left and right sides is formed with an engaging groove 49 formed of a long hole extending in the radial direction at the same angular position. Further, at the positions corresponding to the engaging grooves 49 of the first and second crank members 37, 39 of the side wall portions 35a, 35b on both sides of the base member 35, the base member 35 extends in the vertical direction and extends from the upper part in the front-rear direction. A guide groove 50 is provided. Then, engagement pins 51 provided at predetermined intervals (total of four locations) on the left and right sides of the head holder 12 are slidably engaged with both the guide groove 50 and the engagement groove 49. Has been. In this way, the head lifting mechanism that can control the vertical and longitudinal positions of the recording heads 11a to 11d with respect to the base member 35 over a predetermined range by the operation of the lifting motor 42 is configured.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the wiping mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. That is, the wiping mechanism according to the present invention is for wiping (wiping and cleaning) the discharge port surface 13 of the recording means 10. In FIG. 3, the recording means 10 comprising four line type ink jet recording heads 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d is wiped by a recording hand lifting mechanism (see FIG. 2) as shown by a solid line and a two-dot chain line. Position control is performed so as to take a position and a recording position (not shown) (normally a position lowered from the wiping position). A wiping mechanism 60 according to the present embodiment is disposed below the recording unit 10. The wiping mechanism 60 wipes the ejection port surfaces 13a to 13d of the recording heads 11a to 11d with the wipers 61a to 61d for ejecting ink onto a recording material (not shown) P such as recording paper. Wiping and cleaning). The wiping operation of the discharge port surfaces 13a to 13d by the wipers 61a to 61d is performed when the recording heads 11a to 11d are positioned at the wiping height.

  Therefore, in the wiping mechanism 60 of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, as a single long member stretched endlessly around the driving pulley 65, the idler pulley 66, and the two intermediate pulleys 67a and 67b. By bending a wire 68 (wire rope, stainless steel wire, etc.) 68, parallel path portions 69a and 69b separated by a predetermined distance are formed, and four wipers 61a to 61d corresponding to the four recording heads 11a to 11d are mounted. Both ends of the moved (attached) moving block 70 are connected to the moving parts in the same direction of the parallel path portions 69a and 69b. In the illustrated example, the wiper wipers 61a to 61d are attached to the moving block 70 via wiper holders 71a to 71d. As the wiper 61, for example, a blade made of a plate-like rubber-like elastic material is used.

  The drive pulley 65 is formed with a gear portion 72, and a pinion 74 fixed to the motor shaft of the wiper drive motor 73 is engaged with the gear portion 72. Accordingly, when the driving pulley 65 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow by the motor 73, each linear portion of the wire (long member) 68 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow. When the parallel path portions 69a and 69b are simultaneously moved in the same direction, the moving block 70 connected to the parallel path portions is translated in the direction of the double arrow W. As the moving block 70 moves in parallel, the wipers 61a to 61d move in the direction of the arrow W (wiping direction), so that the discharge port surfaces 13a to 13d of the recording heads 11a to 11d are moved by the tips of the wipers. Can be wiped off. In this case, when the drive pulley 65 is rotated by the wiper motor 73, the moving speed of the wire 68 is the same at any part over the entire length, and the left and right parallel path portions 69a and 69b to which both ends of the moving block 70 are coupled are combined. Is a part that moves at the same speed in the same direction.

  In the illustrated example, both end portions of the moving block 70 can be translated in a stable state by the guide rails 75a and 75b arranged along the parallel path portions 69a and 69b of the wire 68 as a long member. So that the guide is supported. Since the left and right parallel path portions 69a and 69b move at the same speed in the same direction as described above, both end portions of the moving block 70 traveling on the guide rails 75a and 75b smoothly reciprocate without phase shift. can do. Further, both end portions of the moving block 70 are not directly connected to each of the parallel path portions 69a and 69b of the wire 68 via a tension coil spring 76 (only one is shown). The tension coil spring 76 adjusts the length of the wire 68 and applies a predetermined tension (rope tension) to the wire (wire rope) 68.

  Further, the wire 68 is wound around the drive pulley 65 by about (n + 0.5) turns (for example, 2.5 turns), and the overrun when the moving block 70 is stopped is connected to the drive pulley 65 and the wire rope 68. It is structured to absorb by sliding between. That is, a torque limiter is provided for sliding the wire rope 68 against the drive pulley 65 when a tension of a predetermined value or more is applied to the wire rope 68. Each recording head 11 constituting the recording means 10 is a line head as described above, and the moving block 70 moves in the length direction of each line head 11 (direction intersecting the recording material conveyance direction). It is configured. In this embodiment, the recording means 10 is composed of a plurality of (four) line heads 11 using different inks (for example, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan inks). A plurality of (four) wipers 61 corresponding to each of the line heads 11 are mounted on the moving block 70.

  According to the embodiment described above, the parallel path portions 69a and 69b separated by a predetermined distance are formed by bending the wire 68 as one long member, and the moving block 70 to which the wiper 61 is attached is passed through the parallel path. The wiper 61 is connected to the same-direction moving part of the parts 69a and 69b, and the drive pulley 65 is rotated to translate the moving block 70 so that the discharge port surface 13 of the recording means 10 is wiped by the wiper 61. The movement of the moving block 70 with the left and right phase shifts can be eliminated, and even when a plurality of wipers 61 are used, the load of each wiper is different, or even when the right and left sliding loads of the moving block 70 are different. The block 70 can be smoothly translated without rattling, and the recording head 11 can be properly wiped in a stable state (wiping pin ) Can be. In the prior art, two long members are used, but in this embodiment, only one member can be used, and the cost can be reduced accordingly.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of Embodiment 2 of the wiping mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, a timing belt 88 is used as the long member instead of the wire 68 of the first embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, the tension coil spring 76 in the above-described first embodiment is omitted, and the moving block 70 is in the same direction moving portion of the left and right parallel path portions 89a and 89b of the timing belt (long member) 88. Directly connected. Further, since the timing belt 88 is used as a long member, a toothed timing pulley 85 is used as a driving pulley. Further, since the moving block 70 is directly connected to the timing belt 88, torque that absorbs overrun when the moving block 70 stops due to slippage between the drive pulley 65 and the wire rope 68 as in the first embodiment. There is no need to provide a limiter, so this type of torque limiter is omitted in the second embodiment.

  The second embodiment of FIG. 4 is different from the first embodiment of FIG. 3 in the points described above, but has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment in other points. The same reference numerals are used, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. According to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the timing belt 88 is used as a long member for transmitting the wiper driving force to the moving block 70. Since the toothed timing pulley 85 is used as the pulley, the driving of the wiper 61 for wiping can be further ensured.

  In the above embodiments, the case where recording is performed only by sub-scanning using the line-type ink jet recording head 11 has been described as an example. However, the present invention moves the recording head relative to the recording material. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a serial recording type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording, and the same effect can be achieved. The present invention also provides a gradation using a recording apparatus using one recording head, a color recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads that record with different color inks, or a plurality of recording heads that record with the same color and different densities. The present invention can be similarly applied to any type and number of recording heads, such as a recording apparatus, or a recording apparatus that combines these, and can achieve the same effect.

  Furthermore, the present invention relates to a recording head including a configuration using a replaceable ink cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated, a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated, and a connection between them using an ink supply tube or the like. The present invention can be similarly applied to any arrangement of the ink tank, and the same effect can be obtained. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the ink jet recording apparatus uses a recording means that uses an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. In particular, the ink is ejected using thermal energy. In the ink jet recording apparatus using the recording means of the above system, an excellent effect is brought about. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention, where (a) shows a state during recording, (b) shows a state when the recording means is raised, and (c ) Shows a state when the capping mechanism is moved in the horizontal direction from the state of (b), and (d) shows a state when the recording means is lowered from the state of (c) and capping is performed by the capping mechanism. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of an example of a recording means lifting mechanism in an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. It is a typical perspective view of Example 1 of the wiping mechanism of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a typical perspective view of Example 2 of the wiping mechanism of the inkjet recording device to which the present invention is applied. It is a typical perspective view which illustrates the wiping mechanism of the inkjet recording device before applying this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Recording means 11 (11a-11d) Recording head 12 Head holder 13 (13a-13d) Ejection port surface 24 Conveyor belt 25 Conveyance drive roller 26 Conveyance driven roller 27 Paper feed tray 28 Paper feed roller 29 Press spring 30 Paper discharge tray 31 Recording means lifting mechanism (head lifting mechanism)
32 (32a-32d) Cap 35 Base member 35a, 35b Side wall 36 First shaft center 37 First crank member 38 Second shaft center 39 Second crank member 41 Gear portion (tooth profile) 41
42 Lifting motor 43 Drive shaft 44 Gear part (tooth profile)
45 Transmission shaft 46 Crank pin 47 Crank pin 48 Connecting rod 49 Engagement groove 50 Guide groove 51 Engagement pin 60 Wiping mechanism 61 (61a-61d) Wiper 65 Drive pulley 66 Idler pulley 67a, 67b Intermediate pulley 68 Long member (wire )
69a, 69b Parallel path portion of long member 70 Moving block 71 (71a-71d) Wiper holder 72 Gear portion 73 Wiper motor 74 Pinion 75a, 75b Guide rail 85 Drive pulley 88 Long member (timing belt)
89A, 89b Parallel path part A Recording material conveyance direction W Wiping direction

Claims (6)

In a wiping mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus for wiping the discharge port surface of a recording means for discharging ink onto a recording material with a wiper,
A parallel path part spaced apart by a predetermined distance is formed by bending one long member that is stretched endlessly around the drive pulley and idler pulley, and the moving block on which the wiper is mounted is connected to the parallel path part. A wiping mechanism, wherein the wiping mechanism is connected to a moving part in the same direction, and the driving pulley is rotated to move the moving block in parallel to wipe the discharge port surface of the recording means with the wiper. The wiping mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a torque limiter that slides the long member with respect to the drive pulley when a tension of a predetermined value or more acts on the long member. The wiping mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a guide rail for guiding the parallel movement of the moving block. The wiping mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is a line head, and the moving block moves in a length direction of the line head. The wiping mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the recording unit includes a plurality of line heads, and a plurality of wipers corresponding to each of the line heads are attached to the moving block. 6. An ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means to a recording material, comprising the wiping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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